Summer On A Wine Dark Sea
by maraki70
Summary: Bella spends a summer on a small Aegean island with her friends. What starts as a simple "educational" vacation abroad, turns into an eye-opening cultural experience of a world that isn't always readily willing to accept her with open arms.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: Everything Twilight is definitely Stephanie Meyers' ... I just borrow her characters to bring my stories to life.**

**Summer on a Wine Dark Sea**

Prologue

Just a Dream

A tingling shiver ran up my body, as a feather light touch caressed my left calf. I turned around, only to find myself engulfed by thick mist. I felt disconcerted, unable to get my bearings. I began to panic, the fear of the unknown seeping into my bones.

Another light caress briefly touched my lower back. "Don't be afraid, love, I'm here", a deep husky voice whispered in my ear, his breath sending a deliciously warm feeling along my neck.

I turned towards his voice, eager to see whether or not his face was as beautiful as his voice. I met disappointment; my vision blurred by the mist, I was only able to discern a tall shadowed figure.

I blinked, then squinted, but neither effort cleared my vision. "Who are you?"

He leaned closer to me, lowering his head to my level. The features of his face began to sharpen. I was stunned – I found myself staring into the most beautiful, sparkling, emerald green eyes.

"Your destiny", he whispered against my lips, ghosting them with his own.

I closed my eyes, in expectation for his searing kiss.

"Bellaaa! Get your ass out of bed! We're goin' to miss the bus!"

I bolted upright and looked around, blinking my eyes trying to clear the morning bleariness from them. Alice appeared at our shared bedroom door, ran to my bed and tore the covers off of me. "Get up, Bella! We have to leave in an hour for the bus station!"

"Huh? But, we're not leaving until ten …"

"… and it's now EIGHT in the morning and we are already an hour behind schedule! So … GET YOUR BUTT OUT OF BED!" With that, the psycho pixie ran out of our room, probably looking for Rose to terrorize next.

Damn. It had only been a dream.

**A/N: So ... what do you think? This is my first attempt at fan fiction, so don't hold back.**


	2. Day of Travel

**Hello. Sorry for the delayed start but RL decided to throw everything at me these past two months, just to make things interesting. Kids are nearly done with school, so I should be able to publish more often.  
**

**Disclaimer: same as prologue**

Chapter One

Day of Travel

Somehow, amid the chaos of morning showers and last minute packing, we managed to make it to the bus station with a half hour to spare. We were lucky enough to have seats on a newer coach bus with working a/c. Having heard horror stories of thirty year old coach buses, packed with passengers, with no air conditioning, didn't make our anticipated trip from Athens to Volos a comforting one. Thankfully, fortune favors the desperate and we were spared Alice's spritz bottle fans. With a minute amount of fuss – unheard of when travelling with Alice – and our luggage stowed in the bottom of the bus, we began our own Greek odyssey.

The Greek countryside quickly passed before my eyes as I looked out the window. I pondered the experiences of our journey thus far as the terrain turned from the rugged mountainous landscape of southern Greece to the verdant pastures and farmlands of the north. We arrived in Athens three days ago, by way of Logan International out of Boston, with a three hour layover at London's Heathrow, intent on having an enriching experience in immersing ourselves in the Greek culture. Our first full day in Athens found us doing the typical tourist thing … visiting the ruins of the Acropolis and the ancient Agora.

Being a classical literature major, passing between the columned entryway of the Propylaea was spellbinding. Homer, Plato and Aristophanes filled my head as my eyes beheld the wonderous feat of Pericles, the majestic Parthenon, come to view. Breathtaking and humbling seem inadequate in describing how I felt, but would have to suffice, since all other descriptive words escaped me. We soon found a few fallen slabs of marble to sit upon to eat our lunch. Well, I ate … Alice had whipped out her sketch book and furiously began to render a copy of the Parthenon and immediately followed it with sketching the caryatid's balcony of the Erechtheum temple. As for Rose … well, Rosalie wouldn't be her analytical self without going into a detailed description of the ancient mechanics of how the Greeks had managed to build these awesome columns in the first place. All I got was "individual pieces, no two alike" and "held together, through the center, with wooden pegs" before she lost me completely.

Yesterday was devoted to spending time visiting the more modern areas in downtown Athens … namely the fashion district. Alice insisted that we could not say that we had fully taken advantage of our visit without squeezing in a shopping trip.

So, we found ourselves taking the metro to Monasteraki station arriving at nine in the morning. Our destination was the famed Ermou Street where all the best boutiques were found. We spent the rest of the morning going in and out of various stores, adding "must haves" to our summer wardrobe.

As we headed east toward Plaka, we came upon two churches. One was the old Byzantine chapel of St. Eleftherios and the other was the much larger Metropolitan Church of Athens, which was this enormous cathedral that took up most of the open square. We entered the chapel first.

St. Eleftherios' chapel was built around 1200 A.D., and was maintained as much as possible in its original form. There was no electricity, and the only light that was provided was by the open door that led in and out of the small chapel, along with the few beeswax candles that were lit. We didn't stay long in this building, in order to give others a chance to visit. It definitely was a humbling experience to enter into a structure that had been around for over eight hundred years and that had seen generations of worshipers and visitors. That it still stood after all this time despite the numerous wars and occupations that have transpired in Greece's recent history, was a miracle in itself.

The cathedral was a sight to behold. Alice, reading from her guide book, informed us that it was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and a more fitting church to honor Her I had never seen. It was very large, dwarfing the chapel that was next to it, but elegant in its appearance. It had the smooth, graceful curves typical for orthodox churches, but was very simply decorated on the outside. The true artwork lay within. As with all Greek orthodox churches, the inside of the church was decorated in the traditional Byzantine iconography.

We approached the altar of the church and took in the floor length icons. Alice was explaining to us that there were icons that every church had set up at their altars and then there were the icons that were specific to whom the church was dedicated to. As we reached the end of the row, we came upon an icon of a female saint. Alice continued with her explanations, " … if you leave a personal item of yours, you will have a vision of the one that you will marry just before you meet him." Rose raised a skeptical eyebrow at her as Alice had a faraway look in her eye.

Alice gave herself a mental shake and pulled a small button out of her pocket, and placed it at the base of the icon. Then she turned expectantly to Rose.

"What? Don't give me that look, you superstitious pixie. I prefer to rely on my own female devices than divine intervention. When you're done, you'll find me outside." With that, she turned on her heel and left.

Alice huffed and turned to me, "Well … I should have expected that. She's not much of a romantic. Okay Bella, as soon as you leave your item, then we can meet up with Rose."

"Alice, I don't have anything to leave. I had no idea that I'd need to prepare myself in case we came upon a wishing icon," was my snarky reply.

"Oh ye of little faith, your offering doesn't have to be materialistic, just a part of you."

"Such as …?"

With that, she reached over and plucked a strand of hair right above my right ear. "Ow! Alice!" That really hurt! For a tiny little thing, she's entirely too comfortable inflicting pain on others.

"Shh, we're in a church." She leaned over and inserted my meager offering in the icon's frame. "Well, all set then … come Bella, Rosalie is waiting."

A jolt brought me out of my reverie and into the present. "Where are we?" I looked to Alice sitting beside me; she was sleeping, with her sleep mask on. I shook my head and turned towards Rose, sitting across from me, "Any idea, Rose?"

Rosalie leaned over to look out the window. "Well, looks like we're at the rest stop. We have about two more hours to go. Do you want to go stretch our legs?"

"Good idea. My rear is falling asleep."

Outside was hot and dry, with a small breeze that did little to offer relief from the heat. We walked over to the vending machines and each got a soda. Then we made our way to the rest rooms. As we were leaving the facilities, we heard our bus driver give his ten minute departure warning. We quickly made our way back to the bus and found Alice wide awake and reading the brochure of the summer program that we would be attending.

"There you are … I was wondering where you had wandered off to. Did you get me anything?" Rose reached into her bag and pulled out a can of soda. "Thanks Rose. I have snacks, if you two are hungry." With that, she pulled a plastic shopping bag out of her extra large tote, and placed it onto the table that we shared between our seats.

I reached into the bag to pull out a few things. "Oreos … Twinkies … brownies … pretzels? How did you get these through Customs Alice?"

"I didn't. I got them at the duty-free shop at the airport in Athens. I figured that they would come in handy on our trip up here. I was not in the mood for little barbeque pork strips on a stick, and that is what you usually find at these rest stops."

"Awwice, yooor a …"

"Oh for goodness sake Rose, stop talking with a stuffed mouth and finish scarfing down the Twinkie!" Alice huffed, disgusted with Rose's less than lady-like table manners.

I grabbed a bag of pretzels and looked over Alice's shoulder at the brochure that she was still reading. "So, found anything new in your twentieth perusal of the program?"

"Nothing new; I'm just trying to plan out the places that we should visit while we're there. Nea Esmi is loaded with cool places to check out. There's cliff diving, secluded beaches and sea caves … and then there's all the dance clubs downtown! Oh, and here it is … 'downtown Nea Esmi is home to a variety of boutiques, offering something for everyone's taste, whether it's high fashion or eclectic oddities' … ooooh, we'll definitely have to plan a shopping trip!"

Rose and I just looked at each other and rolled our eyes. She pulled out a novel and I plugged my earphones into my ears, turned on my iPod, picked out a long playlist, and zoned out for the remainder of the bus ride.

Eventually, the bus pulled into Volos. The ferry to Skiathos and Skopelos had begun to board passengers, as we arrived after retrieving our luggage from the bottom of the coach bus. We dragged our luggage up two flights of stairs, to the top of the ferry, and claimed spots near the front of the vessel, away from the noxious fumes. About twenty minutes later, the ferry was pulling away from the dock and on its way to Skiathos.

"So …" Alice began, "are you ever going to tell me what you were dreaming about when I woke you up this morning? It sounded stimulating", she wiggled her professionally shaped eyebrows at me.

Oh, God. "What did I say?" I could feel the heat of my mortification quickly making its way to my cheeks. My sleep talking can be very embarrassing at times.

"Oh, well, it's not so much what you said … it's more the moaning that you did. It must have been quite the dream." And there went her eyebrows again! "Come on, spill missie!"

I briefly tried to think of a way to change the subject, but knowing Alice, we'd be back to her grilling me in a matter of seconds. So I caved and told her my dream, with as much detail as possible; because she always wants details.

"Oooooo", she squealed. Yes, Alice actually squealed – earning her a dirty look from Rosalie. "You had a vision! He sounds dreamy." She got that far away look in her eyes again.

Rose rolled her eyes and went back to reading her book. "Geez Alice", I exclaimed, trying to not show my exasperation with her fantasies. "How can it be a vision? I barely caught a glimpse of his face! All I got was intense green eyes!"

"Oh, give over Bella! It was a vision. Just admit it!"

"Fine. It was a 'vision', but not a very good one. All I got were his EYES Alice!" The frustration was definitely in my voice this time.

"Well, what did you expect for a strand of hair? You get what you pay for."

"What? You're the one that said that it didn't have to be materialistic, just personal! The strand of hair came from my person!"

"Settle down Bella. It's just a bit of superstitious folklore."

"How can you even say that after placing one of your buttons, and pulling my hair out of my head!"

"It was in the guide book. I wanted to see what would happen. I didn't know whether or not it would actually work."

I just stared at her, my jaw to the floor, speechless. Sadistic pixie and her experiments; and I'm the fool who always gets roped into them. I just shook my head and turned forward in my seat, and gazed at the horizon in front of me.

The ferry made its way to Skiathos, loading and unloading passengers, and continued onto Skopelos. We finally disembarked at the docks of Skopelos late afternoon. Our final trek would be made by private boat to the docks of Nea Esmi, where our ride to the student dorms would be waiting for us.

Noting that our boat hadn't arrived yet, we grabbed a table at one of the nearby outdoor cafes, and ordered café frappes. These frappes are ice coffees with cream and sugar, with a thick layer of foam at the top. They're very yummy.

We sat there, enjoying our coffees, when this gorgeous boat pulled up to the docks. It probably was about forty feet in length, with an enclosed cabin – windows tinted black - and a top deck. Its white exterior gleamed in the afternoon sun. A tall guy, with blonde sun bleached curls, leaped over the side, mooring the boat. Another guy, taller and much brawnier with dark hair, appeared soon after and followed him over the side. We watched as both men made their way past the other private boats and towards us. They had Rose and Alice's full attention.

The dark haired one noticed us looking, and smiled broadly, two adorable dimples appearing. He approached our table, with blondie trailing him. "Ladies, by some chance are you waiting for a ride to Nea Esmi?" He had a booming voice, the smile never leaving his face.

Rose gave him one of her sultry smiles. "Why, yes, we are. Are you our ride?" Rose, could you be more obvious?

"That we are ma'am. I'm Emmett McCarty. I'm the captain of the Breaking Dawn." He turned and gestured to the other man. "This is Jasper Whitlock, my first mate."

Jasper nodded politely, with a drawled "howdy" followed by a friendly grin.

"I'm Alice Brandon," she chirped, as she practically popped out of her chair, "and these are my friends, Rosalie Hale and Bella Swan". Rose gave a nod and I a small wave, to acknowledge our names.

"A pleasure meeting all three of you ladies," Emmett clapped his hands together, "and since we'll be running out of daylight soon, let's grab your bags and get you settled on the boat. We have about a two hour ride until we reach the island." With that, we grabbed our luggage – Emmett and Jasper carrying the heavier items – and made our way down the dock to the boat.

It didn't take long to drop off our luggage in the lounge and set sail. As Emmett was slowly making our way out of Skopelos' harbor, Jasper gave us a quick tour of the boat. We quickly peered into three sleeping quarters, each with its own lavatory, were shown the engine room – Rosalie, the only one showing the slightest bit of interest – and finally passed through the lounge area once more with the kitchenette (or as Jasper referred to it, the "galley") occupying a corner.

We made our way outside and up the stairs that led to the top deck where Emmett was seated steering the boat. We engaged in the typical small talk to fill up the time – where are we from, where do we go to school, our areas of study – and found out that we lived in a very small world.

"Boston? That's where Jasper and I go to school too. We did our undergrad at Boston College, roommates since our freshman year. I'm now at MIT for my Masters in architectural engineering and Jasper's at Harvard Business for his MBA." Good looks, brawn and brains – Rosalie abandoned all her previous coyness and was sitting upright, having found her kindred spirit. Alice had adopted a similar posture upon hearing that Jasper was a Harvard man.

"Harvard? What a coincidence! I'll be applying there for my graduate studies this fall!" With that, Alice monopolized Jasper's attention with questions about Harvard life and all related topics.

"So, Bella," Emmett grinned as he glanced my way before turning to face forward again, "Rose is into mechanical engineering and Alice's interest is art … so what are you majoring in?"

"Nothing as glamorous or challenging," I smiled at him in return. "I'm a classical literature major."

"Cool. So, you like old books?"

"Yes, I like old books." I loved them actually. I could get lost reading them for days if it wasn't for Rose and Alice frequently intervening to drag me to a dance club or local pub.

"Anything specific?" He quickly glanced my way before facing forward again.

"I enjoy reading Greek and Roman mythology, especially the Iliad and the Odyssey."

"Cool. Homer can definitely tell a cool war story."

"Ah, so you're familiar with him?"

"Homer was required reading my sophomore year in high school. What else do you like?"

"Um … well, I like to read the works of Plato and Aristotle, and the other works of that time. It helps me get a feel for the way society was back then. Grant it, they lived hundreds of years after Homer, but it still helps to imagine the way life was."

"So, you're only into Greek lit? No Norse or Egyptian mythology?"

"No, I wouldn't say that … I've read the myths of other cultures, but none have drawn me in as much as the Greek and Roman myths."

"Aren't they the same?"

"Well, for the most part the myths are very similar, despite some name changes. There are some variations, and even some myths that are entirely Roman in origin."

"Hhhmmm … funny."

"What's funny? Mythology?"

"Naw, the myths are pretty cool. It's just so obvious how much you are into ancient literature … I had you pegged for an English lit major at first. That's the funny part. I could have sworn you were one of those Austen and Bronte fans."

"Well, I do enjoy reading Jane Austen's novels, and I may even have a few well worn copies of some of her books." That was definitely an understatement. I owned at least one paperback copy of each one of her novels, except for Pride and Prejudice in which I actually had three paperback copies, all nearly falling apart. I also had a hardbound anthology of all of her works, with pretty gold lettering on the cover and spine, and with gold gilded pages, that Rose had given me for my birthday a couple of years ago, and three movie versions of Pride and Prejudice on dvd … but Emmett didn't need to know that.

He looked at me with his broad smile, dimples cavernous, and winked. "I knew it."

The rest of the boat ride eased into an easy camaraderie among the five of us.

Eventually, the island came into view. The sun having set awhile ago, the island at first appeared black against the horizon, with the occasional twinkle of lights. By the time the boat was moored to its slip, the various buildings of the small island town were gently lit by the street lights that were dotted along the main boulevard.

We left the boat, with our luggage in tow, and made our way to a white Jeep that was parked nearby. Emmett proudly introduced us to his "baby", we all climbed in, and soon we were riding through the narrow streets of Nea Esmi's downtown, taking the road that would lead us out of the town proper, with a sparsely lit road ahead.

Jasper informed us that the island was like many small Greek islands, in that there was only one real town on the island. The rest of the island was interspersed with small villages and hamlets, mostly found along the main road that lead in and out of downtown, and that ran the length of the island, over the steep hills to the other side of Nea Esmi.

Not long after we began to trek up the start of these hills, we came upon a small tavern, taverna as the locals called it, and stopped for a late dinner. The girls and I hadn't realized how starved we were until we began to smell the savory aromas that drifted out of the open kitchen windows. Emmett took the liberty of ordering for everyone, since we had no idea what to order. We didn't have to wait long – our waiter soon came out with a large platter containing souvlakia (those wonderful little pork kabobs that Alice had no desire to eat earlier), a large bowl of sliced tomato and onion salad drizzled with olive oil and red wine vinegar, and sprinkled with feta cheese and oregano, and a sampling of other Greek appetizers that I was not yet familiar with, along with bottles of sparkling water. Everything was delicious and flavorful, and even Alice was hungry enough to try the little pork on a stick and exclaim how "yummy" it was.

By ten o'clock that evening, we had reached our dorms, which were cute little attached cottages, surrounded by a six foot wall made of field stones with a wrought iron gate at the entrance. The front yard contained some trees and other shrubs, but it was too dark to make out what they were.

Jasper and Emmett helped us get settled into our individual cottages. Each one was set up studio style: a small kitchenette was located near the entrance with a small table and two chairs set up in the sitting area, which had a small sofa set up against a wall, a folding partition that gave the sleeping area some privacy and a full ensuite bath past the full sized bed. Jasper placed my suitcase by an old wardrobe closet that was on the farthest side of the "bedroom". "Thanks for your help Jasper".

"No problem Bella, glad to be of help." I walked him to the door and out to the patio where everyone else was just standing around, talking.

"Well ladies," Emmett's voice was startling among the gentle night sounds of the crickets that could be heard, "it's getting late, and we need to head back to the main house. We'll see you tomorrow morning, around eight, and we'll bring breakfast. Goodnight, and if you need to reach us, our numbers are listed by the phone inside your rooms, along with the number to the main house."

"G'night," drawled Jasper.

"Goodnight Emmett, goodnight Jasper," Alice and I waved while Rosalie walked them to the Jeep. As the Jeep made its way back down the short driveway, Rose waved, until it was beyond the gate and out of our sights.

I tried to stifle a yawn, unsuccessfully, which set off Alice and Rose yawning. "Well, I guess we better call it a night. See you two in the morning. Goodnight." I hugged them both and went inside my room.

I made quick work of getting ready for bed. I unpacked a few things and hung them up in the wardrobe, quickly washed off the grime of travel and eventually settled myself between the most comfortable cotton sheets I have ever felt against my skin. Within moments, I fell asleep.


	3. Welcome

**A/N: Hey there! I'm back! Hopefully this chapter was worth the wait.**

**As before, anything Twilight is Ms. Meyer's, everything else is mine. Enjoy.**

Chapter Two

Welcome

I awoke the following morning to sunlight streaming through the gauzy bedroom curtains, and to the voices of Rosalie and Alice quietly talking on the patio, coming through the window I had opened last night prior to retiring to bed.

I glanced over to my phone that I had set in its charger on the small nightstand, and noticed that the time was 6:30. I decided that I might as well get up, since it was pointless to go back to sleep, especially with Rose and Alice already up. They wouldn't have let me stay in bed for very much longer.

I laid out my clothes for the day, grabbed my toiletries bag from the chair I had placed it on last night, and entered the bathroom. After a thorough scrubbing in the shower, I felt more alert and made quick work of the remainder of my morning routine. I threw on an olive green tank top, khaki shorts and a pair of espadrille slip on flats that I had picked up in Athens. I pulled my hair up into a high pony tail and headed outside to join the girls. They were both similarly dressed as I was; Alice in a bright yellow tank top, and Rose in her preferred color of red.

Rosalie spotted me first. "Hey there, sleepy head! We were about to break down your door to see if you needed reviving. Sleep well?"

"Very well, actually. How about you guys?"

Alice stretched out her arms in front of her. "I'm absolutely refreshed! My bed was heavenly! But …"

"…she was too eager to see Jasper today, so she got up at five!" Rose snickered, interrupting Alice from continuing to enthuse about her glorious and refreshing sleep.

Alice stuck her tongue out at her. "I can't help it that I'm a morning person. You're just jealous that you don't have even an ounce of my pep."

"Trust me pixie, you have more than enough 'pep' for all three of us, I don't need to have any."

I smiled at them both, and looked around at our surroundings. Our front yard had begun to receive the first rays of morning light. An assortment of trees and plants dotted the enclosed landscape. "Have you guys checked things out?" I asked as I motioned with my hand to our general surroundings.

"There's just some pretty flowering bushes and an herb garden," Alice pointed towards one end of the yard, "and a walnut tree and pomegranate tree by the far wall. But nothing is ripe yet." Alice loves pomegranates. We took to calling her Persephone one winter because of all the pomegranates she ate that season. She claimed that it was for all the antioxidants that they contained. I think it was just because they resembled little rubies and she got a kick out of eating "gems". Go figure, but she ended up not catching one cold that winter. Maybe there was something to what she had said.

I took a seat across from them at the small patio table that they were sitting at. Alice had closed her eyes, tilted her head back and was doing her cleansing breathing exercises. Rosalie arched her eyebrow at her, then looked down at her watch.

"Rose, is it close to eight yet?"

"Almost, it's about ten of eight now. The guys should be here soon."

No sooner did she utter the last syllable, we heard a rather loud horn honking. All three of us turned to look at the entrance, when Emmett's jeep came through. Emmett brought the vehicle to a halt, and bound out of the jeep. He had a huge smile on his face and was carrying a picnic basket. "Good morning! We've brought nourishment!" Jasper came up behind him and waved hello as Emmett placed the basket on the table and began to unpack what was in it.

"I figured that since you are here to experience a bit of authentic Greek culture, which includes cuisine, Jasper and I took it upon ourselves to acquire all the fixings of a typical country breakfast. Therefore, we have hardboiled farm fresh eggs – freshly snatched from the protesting hens this morning. Freshly baked bread still warm from Yiayia's fieldstone oven, butter, fruit preserves and fresh apricots picked from Aunt Esme's private garden. Unfortunately, there's no Starbuck's on the island, so you'll have to make do with no caffeine fix. We've brought water instead." With that, he finished unpacking the basket, along with napkins, paper plates and utensils.

Everything looked and smelled so delicious. They went to so much effort to provide us with a decent breakfast, I felt compelled to express how grateful we were. "Thank you Emmett and Jasper for going to all this trouble to feed us. We really appreciate it." Rose and Alice also voiced their thanks.

Jasper pulled up a chair between Alice and me. "It's no trouble at all Bella. It was our pleasure. We figured that since we got in late last night, that there's no way you would have been able to get anything for breakfast this morning. With all the walking around that we're going to do this morning, you ladies wouldn't have had enough energy to make it to lunch without passing out. Em, want to pass me the knife? Yiayia's bread is calling out to me. Wait until you taste this, there's nothing like fresh baked country bread still warm from the oven. It leaves all supermarket loaves in the dust."

As Jasper proceeded to cut the loaf of bread for us, we passed around the other food that the boys brought. Amid pleasant company, we broke our fast, the simple meal more flavorful than anything we had eaten back home. Within the hour, we had polished off everything, cleaned up the crumbs and scraps that remained, and were off to meet Esme Cullen, the woman that ran the summer program, and that owned the island.

Esme Cullen. To say that we were filled with excited anticipation in meeting her would have been an understatement. My internal musings, wondering what type of woman she was – whether or not she was a formidable landowner that ran her island business with a tight fist - were kept silent, far from the constant chatter of Alice and Rose. Well, more so Alice than Rose. In the span of our ten minute ride to the Cullen homestead, Alice had found out that "Aunt Esme" wasn't really the boys' aunt after all. She was actually the aunt of their best friend, Edward Masen. They had been spending their summer vacations with Edward and his aunt for the past five years and in that time had grown quite attached to Esme. So much so, that they unofficially adopted her as their aunt. The love that Emmett and Jasper had for her shown on their faces; no words were necessary to expound on how special this woman was to them. I became more eager to meet her; the image of the formidable business woman was quickly replaced with one that was more maternal.

As Emmett drove up the winding road, a two-storied villa appeared ahead. It was white-washed with the terracotta roof tiles that were typical of most of the island homes that we had passed so far, yet that is where the similarities ended. The Cullen home was much larger than your typical island villa.

We pulled up in front of an iron gate, blocking the entrance to the carport that a black Mercedes already occupied. We all got out of the Jeep, Emmett grabbing the empty picnic basket in the process, and made our way through the gate towards a raised terrace. On our left was a small garden containing fruit trees, vegetables and an old olive tree; to our right, the main building of the home rose above us, with a veranda and second floor balcony running the length of it. As we made our way up the three steps to the flagstone terrace a petite middle-aged women with beautiful caramel brown hair came out of an adjacent building to greet us.

"Kalos Eirthate! Welcome! I'm Esme Cullen." She greeted us with a warm smile and clasped each of our hands in between her own as introductions were made.

"I'm so happy to hear that you had a pleasant trip here. The boys have already told me so much about you girls. What a surprise that you also attend university in the Boston area! It's such a small world!" We exchanged a bit more small talk and she filled us in a bit more on what our responsibilities were, when Emmett asked her if her nephew was still at home.

"No, Edward actually left for the vineyard shortly after you did. You and Jasper can take the girls down to the orchard and show them around. By the time you reach the vineyard, Edward should be ready to continue the tour of the grounds."

We said our goodbyes and made our way back to Emmett's Jeep. The ride to the orchard was just a couple of minutes down a dirt road, in the opposite direction that we had come from. Emmett parked the Jeep just to the side of the road. Within the next half hour we passed through groves of quince, olives, apricots, figs and pomegranates, the trees following the natural lay of the terrain. As we cleared the trees, we reached the top of a small hill. The vineyard stretched out below us, several acres of row upon row of grapevines.

As we walked along the edge of the rows, the tall figure of a young man came into view, approaching us from the opposite direction. He had broad shoulders and a small waist; he was lean and muscular. As he came closer, his features became clearer. His hair a reddish brown, more like a deep bronze, a bit longish and styled in chaotic disarray – or as Rose would prefer to call it "sex-hair". His skin, which I assumed was normally fair, was beautifully sun-kissed, golden with hints of pink accenting his nose, cheeks and shoulders, exposed by the wife-beater undershirt that he wore. He had chiseled features, and a jaw that was so defined that it, undoubtedly, could cut glass. His lips were set in a subtle pout, and there was a faint cleft in his chin. When he finally reached us, his eyes quickly scanned our group, widening slightly upon meeting mine. They were a startling emerald green that seemed to see right through me, to my very soul. He was so beautiful. I tore my gaze away from his, embarrassed, realizing that I was caught staring at him. I felt a familiar hot flush creep up my cheeks and into my hairline. I was known to blush at the slightest thing that called attention to me. I could just imagine the vivid pink of my current blush. I dared to peek at him from underneath my eyelashes, but thankfully his attention had turned to Emmett.

"Hey Emmett", two words accompanied by a rich, velvet-like voice, and I was entranced.

"Edward! I've brought the new recruits!" Emmett turned to us with his wide smile and began the introductions. Edward was polite and pleasant, smiling, as he shook Rosalie's and Alice's hands, repeating their names as they were introduced. When Emmett introduced me, Edward clasped my hand and I felt a tremor run through me. I held my breath as I met his eyes, vaguely aware that he held my hand a bit longer than was necessary. "Bella", his voice took on a husky quality, my name a caress passing his lips. "Welcome."

"Thank you". I managed to find my voice and sound coherent.

All too soon, Edward let my hand go. He began our tour of the vineyard, informing us that we would primarily be helping out here, with some time spent in the orchard. His aunt grew a variety of grapes that ripened throughout the summer into early autumn. Our jobs would be not only to help pick the ripened grapes, but to maintain the vines of the grapes that were still growing. Some grapes were grown to be enjoyed as is, where others were strictly meant for the family winery. Edward led us down the various rows, pointing out specifics. I followed behind him, a few paces back, just enough to be able to admire him as he gestured with his arms, without having to worry about crashing into him whenever he'd stop suddenly to show us something. He was so expressive, showed such enthusiasm, that we could easily see that he enjoyed working on the vineyard and in the winery.

Our tour eventually came to an end when we reached the winery. It was nearing midday, and we had to make our way back to Emmett's Jeep. We parted ways with Edward and Jasper, the latter staying behind to assist in some equipment installation. Our trek back through the vineyard and orchard was quick, as all four of us were eager to get out of the midday sun. Soon, we were back on the dirt road and passing the Cullen's residence.

Emmett suggested we grab a quick lunch, followed by a trip to the market. We readily agreed, having worked up quite an appetite with all the walking we did this morning. After lunch, we headed to the small local market that was about a fifteen minute walk from where we were staying, and bought the necessities – and some sweets – that we would need for the coming days. Emmett was a huge help with translating what was in Greek, suggesting the 'must haves', and helping us carry our bags back to our place, even helping us put the food away in our individual cupboards and refrigerators.

Emmett soon departed, but not before he made sure to invite us to come out tonight to one of the dance clubs located downtown. We agreed and thanked him for all his help. Once again, we watched as his Jeep made its way down our driveway, passed the gate and out of our sight.

Alice let out a big yawn. "I don't know about you two, but I'm beat! I'm going to take advantage of this lovely custom they have here of taking a midday nap. See you in a couple of hours." Rose and I watched her enter her unit as we tried to stifle our own yawns.

"Sounds like a pretty good idea." I said, as I looked over to Rose. She merely nodded her head as she continued to yawn. Without another word, we both turned and entered our respective studios. I barely managed to remove my shoes as I fell on my bed, exhausted from all the walking. I reached over to the nightstand to set my alarm, and then curled up under a light throw blanket and fell fast asleep.

I was in the middle of drying my hair, when I heard knocking at my door. Alice and Rose came barging through it, each carrying several outfits, before I even managed to make my way to open it.

"We've brought you a few outfits to choose from," Alice voiced as she and Rosalie draped the clothing on my bed.

"I'm all set. I'm wearing what I have on." I pointed to the camisole blouse, skinny jeans and ballet flats ensemble I had on.

"No." Alice glared at me. "Absolutely not! There's no way you are going to a dance club in an outfit that is only passable for the corner pub back home!"

"What's wrong with my outfit?" Seriously, it was perfectly fine.

"First," out came Alice's hand as she began to tick her points off on her fingers, "just because we are on an island doesn't mean you don't get dressed up when going out for dinner and dancing. Second, your choice screams 'something I slapped together because I don't care about impressions that I make'. Third, Edward is going to be there tonight, and I think it behooves you to dress a little bit nicer for him."

I felt one of my eyebrows lift up a few inches. "Why would I be so concerned about dressing for him?" Now, I'm not saying I don't care what he thinks about my appearance, I do, but I was never one to go all out in dressing to please my dates. I always had the attitude that what I wore was a reflection of who I am; I'm a simply top and jeans kind of girl. Anyway, this wasn't a date.

"Bella," Alice gave me this exasperated look and stared right into my eyes, "he's the one."

"The one what?"

Another glare accompanied by an eye roll. "The one from your vision, he's your intended. Heck! Didn't you see his eyes?! They were just like what you described from your dream!" Rose shook her head and smirked as Alice continued to rant. "He's your future! He's your destiny!"

"Oh God Alice, I can't believe you're still so focused on that! I didn't think that you actually bought into that bull?! It's just a coincidence that he has the same color eyes as the guy in my dream."

"Coincidence?! Bella quit being so dense!" I swear, she was on the verge of bursting a blood vessel on her forehead that no amount of make-up would cover up.

Thank heaven for Rose. She noticed the direction that this conversation was heading towards and decided to intervene. "Now, whether he's the guy from Bella's 'vision' is up in the air. What Edward is, simple put, is a gorgeous piece of man-meat. Pure sex on legs. Bella, you're lovely as is, but we want the boy drooling if you expect to get anywhere with him anytime soon."

"Guys, I love that you're so concerned about my love life, or lack of one, but I don't think that's such a good idea. For one, you know I don't hook up randomly with guys. I refuse to glam myself up for a guy that is for all intents and purposes a stranger, just to get laid!

Also, don't forget, that I'll be seeing him practically every day for the next three weeks. That would be so awkward to have to work with him after a meaningless encounter."

"Oh for crying out loud Bella," we both looked over at Alice as she grabbed an outfit and shoved it my way, "we're not telling you to dress like a skank, corner the guy and shag the shit out of him. All we are saying is that you put your best foot forward tonight and make sure that he only has eyes for you. Now go put that on!" She turned me towards the bathroom and nudged me on my way.

I obediently changed, because there was no way I wanted to deal with Alice shooting daggers at me all night long. I must say, the outfit that she picked out for me was really cute. It was a dressy little shorts set in midnight blue. The material had a soft sheen to it. The shorts resembled tap pants that hit just about mid-thigh and the top was a halter with a draped neckline that provided a modest peek at my cleavage without letting everything hang out.

As I exited the bathroom, Alice clapped her hands in joy and Rose shoved a pair of death traps masquerading as high healed strappy sandals my way. The look she gave me stopped me from offering up any type of protest. She knew I hated wearing anything with a high heal, because I felt very clumsy in them, but thankfully I have been practicing for the past year walking in the latest trend, so I decided to not put up a fuss. With final touches to our hair and makeup, we left my room and waited for Emmett outside.

We didn't have that long to wait. The rumble of Emmett's Jeep soon was heard and then seen making its way up the drive. Three doors opened as soon as the vehicle was placed in park. Emmett and Jasper exited the driver's side and backseat as Edward came around from the passenger side. I held my breath, trying not to appear anxious, but it was difficult when he was looking so mouthwatering. Snug dark denim and a black button down shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a very casual look, yet it had me melting. Don't know if it was the little bit of hair peeking out from his open collar or his exposed forearms, or even the sexy disheveled look that he pulls off so well. Either way, he had my undivided attention. I found myself eagerly waiting for his reaction on seeing me. Thankfully, I didn't have to wait long, because no sooner did he offer his greetings to Alice and Rose, his eyes found mine. He slowly gave me the once over, a smirk forming on those luscious lips. When his eyes met mine again, there was an added sparkle to them followed by the deadliest panty-dropping smile that I've ever been at the receiving end of. Oh my. _Hold your shit together Bella!_

As Rose and Alice paired off with Emmett and Jasper, respectively, Edward made his way towards me. "Hi Bella." Cue Bella melting.

"Hi Edward." Very smooth, Bella.

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah." You would think for an English major that my responses would be a bit more stimulating, if not a bit longer. Yeah, not so much.

Edward led me to the Jeep. Rose was sitting up front with Emmett, while Alice found her perch on Jasper's lap. I sat in the middle of the backseat, as Edward squeezed in the space remaining next to me. As soon as we were situated, Emmett started up the vehicle again, and off we went.

The ride to town was filled with constant chatter. Conversation between the six of us wasn't stilted. It was as comfortable as it was yesterday on our arrival. During the ride, Edward's arm made its way around my shoulders as he began his own inquiries.

"Any brothers or sisters?"

"None. I'm an only child. You?"

"Same. What's your favorite color?

"Green." Though, if you had asked me yesterday I would have said a deep purple. "How about you?"

"Dark blue." His eyes seemed to get darker as he glanced down to my outfit. "College major?"

"Classical literature. I have one year remaining to get my bachelor's degree from Babson. And you?"

"I was pre-med at Boston College. I just wrapped up my first year at Harvard Medical. Are you continuing with your education?"

"I'm planning on applying to the Master's of Education program at Lesley."

"Good program."

"So I've heard, that's why I'm applying. What type of medicine?"

"General for now, but I'm eventually concentrating on pediatrics."

"Very cool. So I gather that you like kids."

He looked into my eyes and gave me his patented smirk. "Love them." He briefly looked at my mouth and licked his lips. _Oh God, there go my ovaries!_

"So, I take it that you're planning on going into teaching by your choice of degree. What level?"

"I'd love to eventually teach at the high school level, but I wouldn't mind starting off at an elementary or middle school."

And the questions continued until we reached downtown Nea Esmi. Emmett maneuvered the Jeep through the narrow streets until he came to a general parking area by the far end of the wharf. We made our way onto a boardwalk that led out to a small islet. The islet's sole structure was the ruins of a Byzantine fort dating back to the time of the Crusades. The fort was now home to an open-air dance club called the Kastro. The thumping base of the music became louder as we neared the main entrance. Emmett led us past the line that was forming and hailed the bouncer at the door, "Yiassou Demetri!"

"Emmett, man, come on through! Yo Jasper, Ed, how's everything going?" Demetri seemed like a nice enough guy. He spoke with a strong Greek accent. "Dudes, hold on and I'll get Orsalia to seat you in VIP!"

We didn't have long to wait when a petite blonde with her hair pulled back into a ponytail arrived to lead us through the club. The dance club itself was multi-tiered. The first level had open corridors that led to the restrooms in one direction and the kitchen in the other. Off these corridors were several steps that led to the main dance floor, which was surrounding by various seating arrangements. Orsalia led us past these to stairs that led to the VIP seating located in what was the fort's former ramparts. Our low-backed booth was set back enough that we had a great view of the dance floor but didn't have to yell to be heard by the person next to us. To our backs was the open water of the Aegean Sea, the last rays of the setting sun set aglow the walls of the weathered structure to a rosy gold. We took our seats in the booth, Edward and I seated in the middle with Alice and Rose on either side of us, and Jasper and Emmett seated at the ends. We ordered a variety of appetizers and a round of drinks.

I was admiring the view around me, when I heard Edward's voice by my ear. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that this is such a cool place. I've never been to an outdoor club, and certainly not one that was a former fort. Just imagine the history that occurred here. Amazing." I turned to look at him and was a little startled at the close proximity of his face to mine. Again, I watched as he looked between my eyes and then focused on my lips; lips that I involuntarily bit as I tried not to squirm under his rapt scrutiny. He smiled, an adorable lop-sided grin, and began to lower his head to mine when Alice again decided to be the kill joy of all heated moments.

"Come Bella, let's dance!" She grabbed my right hand and proceeded to drag me out of our booth without even a second glance to see if I was willing. Rose was already ahead of us and descending the stairs.

We made our way to the center of the floor, losing ourselves to the seductive rhythm that wrapped around us. The song was instrumental, a European mix, no lyrics to interrupt the spell that it wove around us. I was briefly startled when I felt hands grasp my hips from behind me. I turned my head, ready to chew off the head of whoever had the audacity to grab me, when my eyes collided with Edward's. My outrage was immediately silenced. I felt Edward position himself closer behind me. Our bodies nearly flush, moving as one, his large hands guiding my hips in their rhythmic undulation. His hypnotic scent, a mix of musk and spice – decidedly male, enveloped me. The trance was broken all too soon when Rose nudged our arms to let us know that our food had arrived at our table.

Wordless and hand-in-hand, we made our way back to our booth, our friends already there. We assumed our original seats. Throughout our meal Edward would brush his fingers along my left thigh or along the inside of my palm that rested in my lap. The feather light strokes had me keyed up and alert. A current ran from where he touched and spread throughout me body, sending pleasant shivers and warmth simultaneously. I had no idea whether or not he realized what he was doing, but refrained from calling attention to his stimulating caresses, not wanting to be the cause of them ceasing. Then the secret caresses would stop as he gestured with both of his hands during our conversations with our friends, only to return and begin again. And thus the remainder of my night went, until it was time to leave.

The ride back to our place was a lot quieter than when we had embarked into town. Emmett had mellow music playing through the Jeep's sound system. He and Rose were holding hands over the center console. Alice found herself once again on Jasper's lap, only this time with the added benefit of being in the perfect position to receive his kisses, locking lips throughout practically the whole ride home.

As for Edward and I, well, let's just say that everything was set up nicely but he didn't take advantage of it. His right arm was back around my shoulders, his left hand back to creating havoc inside me, throw in a few of his scorching stares and you have one willing Bella, ready for some lip action. Unfortunately, it was a no go; nothing beyond that happened. I couldn't even blame it on Alice this time. Nope, it all fell entirely on Edward's lap. _God, I wish I had an excuse to fall on his lap!_ He just continued with his maddening strokes until we arrived home and got out of the jeep.

The boys said their good nights. Rosalie got nicely manhandled by Emmett as he thoroughly kissed her. Alice and Jasper continued more of what they had begun on the ride home. Alas, for me, I only got a mere hand squeeze accompanied with his trademark smirk. Not even a blasted kiss on the cheek or forehead! "Goodnight Bella."

I watched as he turned and made his way back to the passenger side of the Jeep. Jasper and Emmett followed shortly thereafter. Alice and Rose were silent in their blissful state as we watched the boys disappear past our gate. I was silent, but in a more agitated state. Having nothing to say beyond "goodnight", I turned and made my way to my room. I was fuming. The nerve he had; all night subjecting me to his mind games!

Eventually, I managed to get myself ready for bed. Falling asleep took a bit more time though, with thoughts of Edward that continued to plague my mind. Restlessness gave way to exhaustion, and my eyes closed to the end of another day.

**Please review. I appreciate all constructive comments. Thank you. Until next time - which I hope will be soon!**


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